Hey everyone! Here is a first attempt at making Docent of Perfection/Final Iteration
more than just the "limited bomb" as it's been described so far. There are actually quite a few sweet Wizards in standard right now, and they go together pretty well in a tempo-based plan. For my first rough draft, I ran blue/red. The plan is essentially to run out your Wizards, bouncing your opponent's creatures thanks to their ETB effects, and ultimately stick a Docent of Perfection, flip it into Final Iteration
with cheap instants and sorceries (making more wizards in the process), then beat down with our swarm of insectile aberrations. Let's peep the spells!
The Wizards
Sidisi's Faithful: a great early blocker, a great cheap wizard late after Docent of Perfection is in play, and great exploit fodder for Profaner of the Dead. Its own exploit can come in handy in a pinch, too.
Stormchaser Mage: the preferable two-drop of the deck. Early, hasty flier is sweet, prowess is a plus (especially after Final Iteration
is in play), and its 3 toughness is also exploitable by Profaner of the Dead.
Harbinger of the Tides: not quite sure about this one yet, but it's another decent bouncer, especially if you can flash it in after the opponent has declared attackers or something.
Mizzium Meddler: ...and I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for that meddling Meddler! I love this thing. It can save your hide (or that of Docent of Perfection/Final Iteration
) when threatened, or steal a beneficial boost from the opponent. Flash is fun. Another 4 toughness creature for Profaner of the Dead to exploit, too.
(Side story: I was playtesting this last night against a friend piloting a white weenie fliers deck. I had a Final Iteration out, and he tried to target it with Collective Effort's "Destroy target creature with power 4 or greater mode". I totally flubbed it and just let it happen, BUT, flashing in Mizzium Meddler would have been a grand fizzle for the opponent -- save my Final Iteration, and get another insectile Wizard onto the field at the same time!)
Hedron Archive:
Hedron Archive: I like this as a four-drop, because it can help you ramp into six mana by turn five, which is enough to cast Docent of Perfection and cast a one-drop instant or sorcery (which we'll look at shortly), thus netting you an additional wizard in the 1/1 token, and the flip into Final Iteration
. A dastardly plan. The card draw can be nice if the game goes long. This does compete with Profaner of the Dead as a four-drop but we can let the board state decide which play is more appropriate.
Anticipate: just a way to dig into the deck and find what we're looking for.
The One-Drop Instants & Sorceries:
Expedite: Make haste! This is probably my favorite to cast on the same turn as Docent of Perfection if possible. Token + flip + hasty Final Iteration
+ draw a card.
Slip Through Space: not as explosive as Expedite, but still useful. It can play a similar role with all the same perks minus haste, but we can still make one of our newly-buffed insectile wizards unblockable and swing in for a hefty beating.
Clutch of Currents: more bounce on the cheap, and can be awakened in the late game to add another beater to the team.
Anyway, there's the plan. It's still rough and definitely thwartable, but I love the general idea and think it has some potential. I brainstormed some other color combos, including a Grixis version with Asylum Visitor, Elusive Tormentor, Reckless Scholar, and madness spells like Fiery Temper, Alms of the Vein, and Just the Wind, and a version splashing white for Reflector Mage, because why wouldn't you?
What do you all think? The current build definitely has weak spots that I can see. Is it trying to be too aggressive? Most of the wizards are blue, so maybe mono-blue would be a better option, adding countermagic to our bouncers and making sure the opponent can't deal with Docent of Perfection? The current mana curve is a bit wonky, too. Any input is most excellent. Thanks for reading!
